00:55, 30 July 2026

The court tightened the measure of restraint for Magomed-Gadji Aydiev.

The Kirov District Court of Makhachkala changed the measure of restraint for the former head of the Novolak District of Dagestan, Magomed-Gadji Aydiev, from house arrest to detention.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in mid-January, the former head of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov (from October 14, 2021, to May 4, 2026), dismissed the head of the Dagestan government’s department for the resettlement of residents of the Novolak District to a new residence and the restoration of the Aukh District, Magomed-Gadji Aydiev.

On December 3, 2025, the investigation reported the detention of the former head of the Novolak District, the head of the Dagestan government’s department for the resettlement of the Lak population of the Novolak District and the restoration of the Aukh District, Magomed-Gadji Aydiev. Later, the Kirov District Court of Makhachkala placed Aydiev in custody for two months. According to the investigation, he illegally distributed 37 plots of land in the territory of yet-to-be-formed villages.

Today, the Kirov District Court again arrested the former head of the Dagestan government’s department for the resettlement of the Lak population of the Novolak District to a new residence and the restoration of the Aukh District, Magomed-Gadji Aydiev, in the courtroom, reported the publication "Novoe Delo" on July 29.

The court changed the measure of restraint from house arrest to detention for a period of two months, until September 2026. The reason cited was a violation of the house arrest regime: in particular, he contacted third parties and conducted phone conversations with third parties. Under these circumstances, in the court's opinion, Aydiev had the opportunity to exert pressure on witnesses and other participants in the criminal case.

Magomed-Gadji Aydiev led the Novolak District since 2007. In 2015, the deputies of the Novolak District Assembly re-elected him as head.

On January 16, 2023, the head of Dagestan appointed Aydiev as the head of the Dagestan government’s department for the resettlement of the Lak population of the Novolak District and the restoration of the Aukh District, as stated on the department's website.

The Aukh District, where Chechen-Akkins lived compactly, was liquidated in 1944 after the Stalinist deportation of Chechens and Ingush. In the northwestern part of the district's territory, the Novolak District was formed, this part was settled by Laks from the mountainous part of Dagestan, while the southeastern part of the district was transferred to the neighboring Kazbekovsky District along with the villages of Yurt-Aukh and Akhtash-Aukh and settled by Avars from the neighboring village. Thirteen years later, in 1957, Chechen-Akkins, like other deported Vainakh peoples, were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

In February 2024, local activists stated that the restoration of the Aukh District, which was planned to be completed by 2025, had actually stopped. Residents of the village of Gamiakh in the Novolak District appealed to the head of Dagestan in March, demanding a moratorium on the privatization of land in the territory where the Aukh District was to be restored.

On September 26, 2024, the investigative department (ID) of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Dagestan reported the initiation of a criminal case against officials from the Novolak District for fraud in the registration of land plots. Employees of the district administration prepared false documents for obtaining plots in the village of Novolak from 40 residents who are not resettlers, the agency reported in its Telegram channel. The machinations with the lands of the Novolak District of Dagestan hinder the restoration of historical justice for the descendants of those deported in 1944 Chechens. Although the Investigative Committee stated that officials attempted to illegally transfer 40 plots of land into private hands, in reality, there may be dozens of times more such plots, believes the chairman of the Public Council "Aukh", Arbi Batyrsultanov.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in February, participants in memorial events for the 82nd anniversary of the deportation of Chechens and Ingush raised issues regarding the restoration of the Aukh District, land distribution, and the lack of attention from the authorities to these problems. In appeals to Putin, voiced at the rally, there was a call to determine the status of the district, to stop the controversial practice of land transfer, and to provide guarantees that the tragedies of the past would not be repeated.

Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/425316